


One Month

by lenasmagic (dimensionhoppingrose)



Series: Weblena Month 2019 [16]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, F/F, Open Ending, Recovery, TW: Talk Of Child Abuse, happyish ending, nothing graphic just talk but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 23:56:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20434622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/lenasmagic
Summary: Every day was hard in some way. But that first month Lena was back was definitely the worst.-Weblena Week 8/28: Remix-





	One Month

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so I don't really have anything to remix, but I seem like writing the different coming home scenarios Lena could go through so... here we are with that.
> 
> Serious talk of child abuse and the mindset of a victim, so just... be wary of that. We're talking about Magica and Lena, after all.

The first month Lena was back was probably the hardest.

Every single day was hard for some reason or another, but that first month of Lena being back in a real body was a trip for an entirely different reason. She, of course, tried to act like everything was normal. She answered the endless questions everyone had when they saw her, although she limited it to what had happened to her after Magica had disintegrated her. She’d tell them the entire story soon, but it was a  _ lot _ to ask after being back in a real body for like three hours. Which was understandable. Webby had dragged out the sleeping bags, and they settled down in the loft to sleep most of the day away.

The second day, she walked into a wall.

Webby had been bouncing ahead of her to get breakfast, Lena following behind, and she had just… walked into the wall right next to the dining room door.

Blessedly, Dewey, Scrooge, and Beakley were the only other witnesses. Lena stepped back, rubbing her forehead, and said, “The wall got in the way, clearly,” before laughing and trying to put everyone else at ease.

The truth was, though, that she had gotten used to trailing behind Webby and walking through walls. Webby asked if she was okay, but no one questioned her further. She was grateful.

They ate, then Webby dragged Lena outside, insisting that some fresh air would be good for her. Lena winced when the sunlight hit her eyes, turning automatically to make sure her shadow was normal.

“Are you okay?”

Lena looked at Webby, and smiled. “Yeah, ‘course. So are we connecting with nature or something?”

“I just thought it’d be nice to get outside.” Webby made her way to a large tree, flopping down in the shade. Lena followed suit, running her fingers through the grass. It tickled her against her hand, and she twitched. “What’s it like?” Webby finally asked the question that had been burning in the back of her mind since Lena had walked into the wall. “Having a body again, I mean.”

“It’s…” Lena crossed her legs under herself, staring at the ground. “ _ Weird _ . Have you ever spent a really long time in the water and then tried to get out but your balance was off?” Webby nodded. “It’s like that, with just… everything.”

She pinched the fabric of her sweater between her thumb and forefinger and rubbed it gently. “So you couldn’t touch anything? Or feel anything?”

Lena shook her head. “Not until last night. I’m not sure if Violet did something or it was the amulet being so close by or both or… what. The Baggle box was the first thing I touched in six months.”

If she focused hard enough, she could still feel the hard plastic colliding with her hand. “That must have been hard,” Webby said quietly.

“Only when you were doing something stupid and I tried to grab your hand and stop you.” Lena smirked, nudging Webby’s knee, and she laughed.

“God, you saw so many of our adventures, didn’t you?”

“I saw enough to know you couldn’t pay me enough to go on one.” Her hand moved to the tree, gently rubbing the bark. “You people are  _ insane _ .”

“But it’s so much fun!”

“I’ll stay home, thanks.”

They both paused as Lena broached the first of what would be many difficult subjects. “ _ This _ home?” Webby asked uncertainly. Lena looked at the floor.

“I… don’t know. I guess? If Scrooge is okay with it.”

Webby beamed, throwing herself at Lena and hugging her tight. Lena’s arms wound around the smaller body, and she relaxed just a bit, not realizing up until that moment how tense she had been.

Scrooge was okay with it, of course, which brought up the next Thing — where would Lena sleep? Not that there weren’t a million unused rooms in the mansion; Lena just wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone yet. She also had no idea how to say that without sounding stupid, though.

“I can just sleep on Webby’s floor for now, it’s fine.”

“If we rearrange the loft I bet we could fit another bed up there,” Webby piped up. “It’d be like a sleepover  _ all _ the time.”

“It might be best to limit the changes for a bit,” Beakley suggested. Lena was holding out for now, but she and Scrooge both knew the teen was a ticking timebomb. No one went through what she had and came out the other side completely fine. “Staying in Webby’s room is fine for now if that’s what you want.”

Lena nodded, suddenly interested in her sweater. “Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks Tea Time.”

“Still capable of sarcasm,” Beakley said with a sigh, but she was smiling, so Lena figured she could get away with it.

Webby took Lena’s hand, squeezing gently. “There’s no reason for you to sleep on the floor while you’re up there. I’m sure we can find a bed to get up there for you.”

“Really, I don’t want to be a bother—”

Scrooge fixed Lena with a serious gaze. “Lass, you saved Webby and Dewey at the cost of your own life, and then stayed with Webby to try and protect her. You haven’t only earned a place in this family, I might consider using you to replace someone. At the very least, you can have a bed.”

Lena blushed, ducking her head and and nodding. “Okay. I… really appreciate it.”

Scrooge chuckled, ruffling her hair. “We’re the ones who should be thanking you, lass. Make yourself at home. It’s yours for as long as you want it.”

Webby hugged Lena’s arm tight, beaming, and Lena smiled despite herself.

They went upstairs — and were almost immediately ambushed. “Gotcha!” Louie yelled as he fired off several foam darts. Webby knocked each one off course, but Lena had jerked back, foot slipping, and sending her tumbling right back down the stairs.

“Lena!”

Hitting the ground felt weird… but it didn’t  _ hurt _ . Lena realized why as she picked herself up, and realized she had shifted into a shadow. Webby hurried back down the stairs, freezing when she saw Lena. “Are… Are you…?”

“I think, so…”

Lena closed her eyes, shaking her head furiously. It took a moment, but finally she felt the magic fade away; her body was normal when she opened her eyes again.

“Ack, jeez, Lena, I’m sorry!” Louie was at the bottom of the stairs, gun at his side. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t even think—”

“Nah, it’s cool.” Lena pushed herself up. “Good to know I’ve still got some magic somewhere in this weird body.”

“Everything okay?” Huey called down the stairs.

“All good.” Lena waved, rolling her shoulders. “If we can get upstairs without being attacked.”

Louie chuckled nervously. “Yeah… sorry about that. Stand down, boys.”

The girls managed to get up the stairs, and Lena realized her hands were shaking slightly. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, giving Webby a smile when she caught the look the girl was giving her. “I’m good,” she answered the unasked question. “Really, I am.”

Webby still frowned, tugging Lena’s arm to wrap both of hers around it as they walked upstairs. 

* * * * * * * * *

It was three days before Lena had the first of  _ many _ nightmares. Looking back, Webby suspected it was because that was the first time she actually slept.

Her scream was loud enough that it roused everyone in the mansion, and even reached the houseboat, where Storkules was making a late dinner. His good but misguided attempt to help was waylaid by the triplets, who were pretty sure Lena wouldn’t be able to deal with a god at the moment. She was barely handling the adults who had crowded into the loft. 

In hindsight, they realized they should have known not to all go up there and surround her. It had honestly sounded like she was being murdered, though.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…

Webby was sitting in the shadowy corner with Lena, who had completely curled in on herself. Her legs were up to her chest, forehead resting against her knees, hands clasped against the back of her head, trying to escape from something only she could see.

“Lena?”

She shook her head, shuddering. That was all they got from her for an hour. Webby stayed close, only trying to touch Lena once; the teen shrank away, and she didn’t push it. Scrooge stayed with the girls while Della and Beakley went back downstairs to standby. All three of them didn’t need to be there.

“Don’t make me go back,” Lena finally whispered.

“Go back where?” Webby asked. Scrooge had a feeling he knew.

“ _ Not again! Don’t send me back! _ ”

The words, and the fear behind them, still haunted his own nightmares. “No one is going to make you go back, lass,” he said quietly. “I promise.”

* * * * * * * * *

Lena wasn’t sure how she had ended up on the floor, staring at the ceiling. She wasn’t  _ entirely _ sure where she was. Whatever was under the foyer. Not the other bin, thank god, she thought as she sat up, coughing and waving off dust.

“Ms. Lena.”

She looked up at the ghost butler hovering over her. “Yo.” She stood, dusting herself off. “I… didn’t mean to end up here.”

“Ms. Webigail informed me what happened. Please, follow me.”

Webby knew what had happened? Lena barely knew what had happened. They’d been talking, walking across the foyer…

And then she was on the floor in what she assumed was the basement.

Webby was waiting at the top of the stairs, and immediately threw herself at Lena, hugging her tight.

“Whaaaaat happened?” Lena asked uncertainly, returning to the hug.

“You shadowed. Just kinda…” Webby pulled back, waving her hands. “I was talking, then you were gone.”

Lena rested a hand over her eyes, sighing. “Great.”

Webby took her hand, squeezing. They were still trying to figure the extent of her magic — so far there was telekinesis, which she could kind of control, and turning into a shadow, which she had no control over whatsoever. It was frustrating.

* * * * * * * * *

“Webby?”

“Hmn?”

“If I tell you something really, really messed up, do you promise not to hate me?”

“I could never hate you.”

“Stay tuned.” Lena took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, stomach turning uncomfortably. “I… I um… god this is so,  _ so _ messed up.”

Webby slid a hand over to grasp Lena’s, giving it a squeeze. Lena took another breath and tried again. “Sometimes I… kind of miss Magica.” Unsurprising silence followed that. “Not like, I’d go anywhere with her if she offered, unless it was walking her off a cliff.” Webby let out a small giggle. “But the my entire life was just, ya know, her in my shadow, telling me what to do, and at least it was  _ easy _ . I didn’t have to worry about things.” She sighed, scrubbing her eyes with her free hand. “I told you it’s messed up.”

“It’s not. I mean, I guess it is, in a way. But…” Webby sat up and leaned over Lena so they were eye to eye. “Like you said, that was your life. Having someone make your choices for you is always easier than having to figure things out on your own. Freedom is hard.”

“Who would’ve guessed.” Lena smiled bitterly. “I spent years trying to get away from her, and now I want to go back.”

“You don’t want to go back. You just want someone to make your choices for you again.”

Lena paused, grimacing. “Insightful. And fair. But also ouch.”

“Sorry.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong.”

Webby crossed her legs and gently tugged Lena’s head into her lap, playing with her hair. “What brought that up, anyways?”

“Just… ya know, Scrooge is trying to get all that legal stuff out of the way, and I have to make  _ choices _ about things and I’d rather try to get a dime out of another money shark’s mouth then make decisions about my existence, and she was  _ really _ close to getting that dime by the way, it was stuck in the shark’s tooth, if I hadn’t jumped to save you she would’ve—”

“Ssssshhhh.” Webby gently pressed her finger against Lena’s beak. “Breathe.”

Lena did so, her head spinning slightly. She’d forgotten about breathing. “Told you,” she muttered, looking away.

“It’s not messed up for the reason you think it is,” Webby said. “It’s messed up because Magica made you feel this way. Because she hurt you, and she got away with it. And you deserve better than that.”

Lena’s gaze had gone slightly glassy; she sat up after a moment, curling her knees tight to her chest as she tried to hide her tears. Webby scooted forward to wrap her arms around Lena, hugging her from behind. Lena wiped her eyes with her sweater sleeve.

“I think I’m broken, Pink.”

She tried to sound like she was making a joke, and almost succeeded. “You’re not broken,” Webby protested, tightening her grip. “You’re hurt. Someone hurt you, and now you need to recover. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Still, the thought that Lena was even entertaining the idea of going back to Magica was terrifying, and Webby couldn’t shake it. She went to talk to her grandmother about it later, while Lena was in the shower.

Beakley didn’t immediately dismiss Webby’s concerns, thankfully. “I can certainly understand being worried,” she said. “Lena’s been through a lot. She’s young, and she spent fifteen years with Magica. It’s not surprising part of her would want something familiar during all this change.”

“You don’t… think she’d actually run away, do you?”

“Not without a blunt object to beat Magica with.” Beakley smiled dryly. “Don’t forget, it’s only been a few weeks. It’s going to be hard, but she’ll get through it. You know better than anyone about how stubborn she is.”

Webby smiled. “Yeah. She’ll be okay.”

That didn’t stop Webby from staying closer than usual to Lena. Just for a little while.

* * * * * * * * *

“Webby?”

The quiet whisper echoed across the room. Webby rolled over, blinking sleepily, eyes seeking out Lena’s bed. “S’wrong? Can’t sleep?”

“No… I mean, yeah, I can’t sleep, I just…” She sighed as rolled to bury her face in her pillow, mumbling something into the fabric.

“Huh?”

Lena took a shaky breath as she sat up again. “Can… this is so stupid, god…”

“It’s not stupid,” Webby insisted, waking up fully. “Please ask?”

A sigh, and then a very quiet, “Can I have hug?” was all it took to get Webby out of bed and across the room, crawling into Lena’s bed without hesitation and hugging her tight. She had a lot of moments like this, where she just needed someone to touch her, to hold her. And she had a lot of moments where the feeling of her own sweater against her feathers drove her insane. They’d attributed it to the incorporeal form she’d spent six months in — she’d grown used to never feeling anything, but no one was built to deprived of touch for that long.

Lena pressed closer, burying her face in Webby’s shirt. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“I don’t think I’ve slept.”

“Do I need to ask Granny for the sleeping pills?”

“Maybe.” But Lena’s arms tightened around Webby’s waist. She wasn’t going anywhere for a while. “I  _ hate _ this.”

“I know. But go easier on yourself. You’re trying.”

Lena shrugged, closing her eyes. Webby sought out a clock. “Hey. You know what day is?”

“The thirteenth.”

“Well, yeah. But it’s also been one month since you came back.” Lena pulled back slightly to look at Webby, who smiled. “You’ve been here, in this house, with us, for an entire month.” She brushed her fingers through Lena’s hair. “Which means you’re stronger now than you were a month ago. And next month you’ll be stronger than that. And so on and so forth until most of this is just an old, terrible memory.”

“Great, one month down. How many to go?”

“Well the average life expectancy is around seventy-eight, and you’re fifteen, so sixty-three times twelve… seven-hundred and fifty six months to go.”

Lena actually laughed. It was a lovely sound. “Let’s call it an even seven-hundred. You never know.”

“So one month down, six-hundred and ninety-nine to go?”

“Sounds right.”

Lena eventually fell asleep without the sleeping pills, and Webby didn’t dare move once she was out. Instead she stared at the darkened ceiling, thinking about… well, everything. Mostly everything related to Lena.

Six-hundred and ninety-nine months, she mused as she closed her eyes. She wanted to be there for all of them.


End file.
